


A Perfect Family

by Coryn



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, One Shot, even though they can't be happy, happy family AU, just let my children be happy for once in their lives, let them be happy, please world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 03:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10801110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coryn/pseuds/Coryn
Summary: Everyone is happy. Everything is perfect.





	A Perfect Family

Doctor Lake had had a very long, stressful day at work. It had passed by in a blur, and gratefully she was finally home. She took off her lab coat, dropped her purse, and slipped off her shoes, taking a few steps into the living room.

"Surprise! Happy birthday!" Jim and Walt Strickler popped up from their hiding places, and Barbara smiled. She had completely forgotten what day it was. It felt like her birthday was still months away.

"Welcome home, Barbara," Walt said as he walked up to Doctor Lake and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. The look he gave her would have melted chocolate. "Happy birthday, my love."

"Happy birthday, Mom!" Jim shouted. He ran up to her and gave her a huge hug. "I love you so much."

Jim ran back into the kitchen and Barbara could hear the clatter of plates as he rushed to set the table.

Barbara shivered, and Walt put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned closer towards him, appreciating his warmth. "Come join us in the kitchen, it's warmer there, and Jim has prepared some delicious surprises for you."

Something flickered in the corner of her eye, and Barbara turned her head towards it, looking for its source but finding nothing out of the ordinary. She shook the weird feeling off. She and Walt joined Jim in the kitchen. Looking around she saw a beautiful cake, her favorite soda, and omelettes. Jim had made the perfect dinner, and she gave him a brilliant smile. "Jim, you are my hero. All of my favorites? You shouldn't have."

"Yes, our Young Atlas certainly outdid himself planning for the party, didn't he, Barbara?" Walt gave her that look again, and Jim gagged a bit, averting his eyes.

"It's your birthday Mom. I'd do anything for you."

"You two really are something," Doctor Lake said, her smile warming her boys' hearts.

Once they were all seated around the table, they dug in. The omelettes were amazing, like they were every morning. Barbara hated to admit it, but her son and her boyfriend were both already in the habit of spoiling her. She only wished she could take better care of them in return. It seemed like they carried the weight of the world for her.

"Blow out the candle and make a wish," Jim said, holding a fat slice of cake with a single candle on it in front of his mother. She blinked. Dinner had ended so quickly, she hardly even realized it was time for dessert. She already knew what she was going to wish for though, and as she blew out the candle, her wish echoed in her heart, _I hope we can stay a happy family, just like this, forever._

"Mom, you're going to love this, we have 'Pin the tail on the troll'," Jim said, laughing as he tied a blindfold around her eyes.

"'Pin the tail on the troll'?" Barbara repeated, laughing. "Where did you go for party supplies, a Halloween store?"

"It was the only one they had," Jim said, the shrug evident in his voice even though the blindfold prevented her from seeing it.

Walt counted to ten as he gently spun Barbara until she was slightly dizzy, and Jim placed a tail in her hand. Her boys cheated a little, making sure she was facing the troll when she finished spinning. As Walt released her shoulders, a draft of cold air tickled her ankles, and she shivered. Something felt wrong.

"Walt?" Barbara asked, panicking a little. She felt so alone.

"I'm here," Mr. Strickler reassured, his hand met hers and she relaxed once more, the tail slipping to the ground, forgotten.

She took off the blindfold. "I'm sorry, I don't really feel like playing this. Maybe we could sit down for a minute?"

"Of course, Mom, whatever makes you happy. It's your special day, after all," Jim said, pulling out a chair as Walt guided her towards the table. But something in the corner caught her eye, and Barbara stepped away from her boys and walked further into the kitchen. Tiny streaks of black and purple smoke escaped from the edges of a cupboard door.

"What's this?" Doctor Lake asked.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Barbara," Walt said, stepping towards her, but curiosity killed the cat.

Barbara cautiously opened the cupboard door. Immediately, the black and purple smoke forced its way into the room, hiding everything and blocking out all the light. Her house, her son, her love, they were all whisked away with the smoke. Barbara blinked, and when she opened her eyes once more she found herself in a dark, cold space. The smell of mold and rot made her gag as she fought for breath. Cold metal bit into her wrists and ankles, pinching even more as she pulled and strained against the bonds.

"You had to go and ruin it, didn't you?" a grim voice rumbled, its source somewhere in the darkness beyond Barbara's vision. "I set up a beautiful world for you to live in, away from the reality of monsters, and you went looking for them."

"What's happening?" Barbara gasped, still fighting against the thick metal that held her strapped to the stone. She could barely see anything in the darkness. "Where is Jim? What did you do to my son?"

"Go back to sleep, Barbara, this is only a bad dream," the voice said, and a glowing wisp of magic flew out of the darkness and straight into Barbara's face, causing her strength to fade and her eyes to flutter closed.

"Jim? Walt? Where is... where is my family..." Barbara struggled futilely, sleep once more taking her captive. As the darkness faded, Barbara blinked, the light from her kitchen blinding her for a moment. Barbara slammed the cupboard door shut, panting and gasping as she filled her lungs with delicious fresh air. A hand touched her shoulder and she turned around to see Jim. Walt was hovering just behind him, and both of them looked terrified.

"Mom, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Jim asked. He was right there, with his very real hand on her very real shoulder. He was with her, and nothing was wrong. There was no smoke, and even if she tried to pull it from her memory, she couldn't recall what she had seen in the darkness.

"I... I'm fine," Barbara said. "I'm sorry for worrying you sweetie, thank you so much for this wonderful meal and the cake and-"

"Anything for you Mom. I love you," Jim said, wrapping his arms around his mother and pulling her close to his chest. "Everything will be fine."

Walt walked over, knelt on the ground, and put his arms around the other two, joining the two people he loved most in the world. "Jim's right, you know. Everything will be fine. We're a family, after all."

Barbara smiled. She knew she would be safe with these two watching over her. They really were a family, and family looked out for each other.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry world, I told you I was a monster but some of you didn't listen. Who was I kidding, even I can't just let my children be happy. No matter how badly I want it, any world in which everything is happy couldn't possibly exist.


End file.
